Multi-stage sealing system for use in a motor vehicle control unit

Abstract

A multi-part sealing system is provided for a housing of a motor vehicle control unit. The housing includes a first housing part and at least one additional housing part, with at least one electronic component in the interior of the housing and at least one conducting structure which leads out of the interior of the housing and connects an electronic component in the interior of the housing to components outside the housing in an electrically conductive manner. At least one housing part has at least one device for accommodating at least one part of the multi-part sealing system. A first part of the sealing system is suitable for preventing liquid harmful or noxious substances from penetrating into the interior of the housing and additional parts of the sealing system are suitable for preventing gaseous harmful or noxious substances from penetrating into the interior of the housing.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. In a motor vehicle control unit including:
 a housing having an interior, a first housing part and at least one further housing part, 
 at least one electronic component disposed in the interior of the housing, and 
 at least one conductor structure leading out of the interior of the housing between the housing parts for electrically conductively connecting the electronic component in the interior of the housing to components outside the housing, 
 an electrically conductive connection electrically connecting said conductor structure to the electronic component in the interior of the housing; 
 a multi-part sealing system for the housing, the multi-part sealing system comprising: 
 at least one device disposed in at least one of the housing parts for accommodating at least part of the multi-part sealing system; 
 a first part of the multi-part sealing system being specifically suitable for preventing liquid noxious substances from penetrating into the interior of the housing; and 
 further parts of the multi-part sealing system being specifically suitable for preventing gaseous noxious substances from penetrating into the interior of the housing; 
 said further parts of the multi-part sealing system being completely displaced away from said electrically conductive connection so that there is no physical contact between said electrically conductive connection and said further parts of the multi-part sealing system. 
 
     
     
       2. The multi-part sealing system according to  claim 1 , wherein one of said parts of the multi-part sealing system is an adhesive, a solid seal, a catalytic converter, a filter or a getter layer. 
     
     
       3. The multi-part sealing system according to  claim 2 , wherein said getter layer is composed of a metal. 
     
     
       4. The multi-part sealing system according to  claim 3 , wherein said metal is aluminum, copper, silver, a silver-palladium alloy or steel. 
     
     
       5. The multi-part sealing system according to  claim 2 , wherein said getter layer is applied to one of said parts of the multi-part sealing system. 
     
     
       6. The multi-part sealing system according to  claim 1 , wherein said parts of the multi-part sealing system are disposed between the housing parts and are disposed in any desired sequence in said devices. 
     
     
       7. The multi-part sealing system according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one device includes a plurality of devices, and said parts of the multi-part sealing system are each disposed in a respective one of said devices in the housing. 
     
     
       8. The multi-part sealing system according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one device is a single device, and at least two of said parts of the multi-part sealing system are disposed in said single device in the housing. 
     
     
       9. The multi-part sealing system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one conductor structure is a flex film conductor, a rigid conductor circuit board, a cut matrix or a cable with open contact regions each disposed at a respective end section. 
     
     
       10. The multi-part sealing system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one electronic component is disposed on the at least one conductor structure. 
     
     
       11. The multi-part sealing system according to  claim 1 , which further comprises a separate circuit carrier, the at least one electronic component being disposed on the separate circuit carrier. 
     
     
       12. The multi-part sealing system according to  claim 1 , which further comprises a separate circuit carrier, the at least one electronic component being disposed on the at least one conductor structure and the at least one electronic component being disposed on the separate circuit carrier. 
     
     
       13. A control unit, comprising:
 a housing having an interior, a first housing part and at least one further housing part; 
 at least one electronic component disposed in said interior of said housing; 
 a circuit carrier disposed in said interior of said housing; 
 at least one conductor structure leading out of said interior of said housing for electrically conductively connecting said circuit carrier or said electronic component in said interior of said housing to components outside said housing; 
 an electrically conductive connection electrically connecting said conductor structure to said circuit carrier or said electronic component in said interior of said housing; 
 a multi-part sealing system between said housing parts, said multi-part sealing system having a first part being suitable for preventing liquid noxious substances from penetrating into said interior of said housing and said multi-part sealing system having further parts being suitable for preventing gaseous noxious substances from penetrating into said interior of said housing; and 
 at least one of said housing parts having at least one device for accommodating at least part of said multi-part sealing system; 
 said further parts of the multi-part sealing system being completely displaced away from said electrically conductive connection so that there is no physical contact between said electrically conductive connection and said further parts of the multi-part sealing system. 
 
     
     
       14. The control unit according to  claim 13 , wherein the control unit is a motor vehicle control unit.